Porcine endometrial and conceptus tissue kallikrein 1, 4, 11, and 14 gene expression

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that the porcine endometrium may express several tissue kallikreins during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. The present study investigated porcine endometrial and conceptus tissue kallikrein 1, 4, 11, and 14 mRNA expression during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. Tissue kallikrein (KLK) gene expression was evaluated using quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. KLK1 expression was similar across the estrous cycle and early pregnancy, and localized to the endometrial luminal (L) and glandular (G) epithelium. KLK4 endometrial mRNA expression was greatest on days 0, 5, and 10 when compared with days 12, 15, and 17 of the estrous cycle and greater in cyclic compared with pregnant gilts. Expression of KLK4 was more intense in the stroma and uterine epithelium from days 0 to 10 of the estrous cycle. Endometrial KLK11 mRNA was not different between cyclic and pregnant gilts but the expression was greatest on days 10 and 12 compared with all other days evaluated. There was an increased intensity of KLK11 gene expression in the stratum compactum on day 10 of the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. Endometrial KLK14 mRNA expression was not detectable on days 5 and 10 but was expressed on days 0, 12, 15, and 17 of the estrous cycle and pregnancy. KLK14 expression was localized in the uterine L and G epithelium, and stroma throughout the endometrium after day 10. Conceptus KLK1 mRNA did not change from days 10 to 17 of gestation. However, conceptus KLK4, and 14 mRNA expression was greatest on day 10 with expression declining after day 14 of gestation. Expression of the various tissue kallikreins in the endometrium and conceptus during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy in the pig can serve in the activation of growth factors and tissue remodeling during the establishment of pregnancy. IntroductionPrior to initiating the epitheliochorial type of placental attachment to the uterine surface on day 13 of pregnancy, porcine conceptuses undergo rapid elongation from a 10 mm sphere to a long filamentous thread-like structure (Geisert et al. 1982, Stroband & Van de Lende 1990. Following trophoblast elongation, attachment to the uterine surface epithelium by the developing conceptuses stimulates a localized increase in transcapillary transport (Keys & King 1990) and uterine blood flow (Ford et al. 1982), which occurs concurrently with the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy (Geisert & Yelich 1997). The increase in uterine blood flow and many of the endometrial responses that occur during early porcine conceptus development resembles the acute-phase response induced during tissue inflammation (Salier et al. 1996, Geisert & Yelich 1997.The tissue kallikrein family of serine proteases activate a wide range of substrates and growth factors (Chan et al. 1999), suggesting that kallikreins are involved in many integral processes of early embryonic development, such as regulation of uterine blood flow, angiogenesis, tissue invasion, and mitogenesis . Five tissue kallikrein...

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